Sunday, July 03, 2005

birthday/mid-year self-reflection

as my birthday weekend comes to a close, i wanted to share a fabulous request that i received from my amazingly talented illustrator, morgan. i know her only professionally and was touched to receive such a thought-provoking personal e-mail. here is a portion of it cut and pasted:

"Your birthday is your personal New Year's, and a chance to create forourselves a starting point and period of reflection for the year past.So... Here's your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

1. Make a list of your accomplishments since your last birthday2. Make a list of your goals for this year.3. Write these lists in your journal, and save it someplace safe that you'llrefer to it again.4. (optional) Share this information with others."

as i prepare to venture out into montreal shortly to hear some jazz (it's jazz festival time here!), take sir louis to run with french-barking canines in the park, and stroll along the streets filled with cafes and fun boutiques, i wanted to share this request with each of you. it doesn't need to be a birthday to stop for a moment, find a cozy corner, pull out your journal with pen in hand, and reflect on what the first part of 2005 has meant to you. we're half way there, half way through a year filled with many dreams. how have yours unfolded? what can you do during the second half of 2005 to either get back on the horse or change course altogether?

i plan to use my 12-hour drive back to dc tomorrow to reflect on these great questions above. i encourage you to use this holiday weekend to carve out some personal time. tomorrow is a day focused on freedom in the usa, why not focus on personal freedom through some self-reflection?

here's to the rest of 2005 filled with challenges, joy, growth, and continued evolution. thank you, morgan, for sending such a thought-provoking birthday wish.